NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A 27-year-old Queens man was arrested on Thursday for buying child pornography over the internet with Bitcoin, the Queens District Attorney’s Office announced Saturday.
Between May 2021 and November 2022, Andre Hyman allegedly bought multiple images and videos of prepubescent girls being sexually abused online using Bitcoin.
Police tracked down Hyman as part of a larger, international investigation into online child sexual abuse materials.
One image depicted the abuse of a child around the age of four years old.
The investigators looked into several websites that were selling child pornography using Bitcoin.
The team monitored transactions over the payment app Square, and subpoenaed records from the company that revealed Hyman’s name and address.
Police raided Hyman’s home on Thursday and arrested him.
“This case should serve as a warning to all those who think they can safely hide behind their digital wallets to purchase and promote materials depicting the sexual abuse of children,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “We will use all tools at our disposal, including tracing illegal activity through the digital marketplace, to investigate and prosecute these abhorrent actions.”
Hyman was arraigned Friday in a nine-count criminal complaint for promoting a sexual performance by a child, possession of a sexual performance for a child and a number of forgery charges for fraudulent checks discovered in the raid.
Related
Related
